PODCAST · society
The Hustler Files
by Lisa Reilly
In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives, and as they hustle to create a new future you’ll be inspired by their grit, passion, and perseverance to succeed. We'll also look inside the lives of other ex-offenders who have become successful entrepreneurs and the organizations that are available to help those who know their future lies ahead, not behind. Join me, Lisa Reilly, for a groundbreaking, episodic podcast series where the belief that failure isn't final has never been truer.
Episodes
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CHARLES ROSARIO – HOLDING THE DOOR FOR OTHERS LIKE HIM
Charlie Rosario spent 19 years in prison. While incarcerated, he was fortunate to be admitted to the Emerson Prison Initiative. This program earned him a bachelor's degree, and with that education he began to see new possibilities for his life. Now released from prison, he works for the same...
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MNEESHA GELLMAN – UNLOCKING THE PERSON INSIDE THE PRISONER
What changes when someone in prison is given the chance to become a college student? Dr. Mneesha Gellman, Founder and Director of the Emerson Prison Initiative, (EPI), in Boston, Massachusetts, believed a rigorous college degree program could help create that change. It didn't take much with her...
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KEN W. GOOD – A MILLION-DOLLAR BOND GONE WRONG
Texas bail attorney Ken W. Good breaks down the often-confusing differences between bail, bond and pretrial release, and examines what happens when the safeguards designed to protect the public fail. This conversation centers on the case of Lee Gilley, a Houston man charged with capital murder in...
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RON WADDELL - THE MEN HE REFUSES TO GIVE UP ON
A second chance only matters when someone is standing there ready to help you believe your life can actually be different. Ron Waddell, co-founder of Legendary Legacies in Worcester, Massachusetts, knows firsthand how easily a young person can fall through the cracks. After losing his mother at…
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ESTHER & EVE – AN UNWAVERING BELIEF IN HER INNOCENCE
Twenty years, that's the sentence she received for refusing to take a plea deal. Now Elizabeth Mercedes Hernandez, a former nurse practitioner, a mother of five and a healthcare professional with no prior criminal record is serving in a Florida federal prison after being convicted of committing...
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ELIAS HUSAMUDEEN – A RIKERS RESET FOR AMERICA'S MOST INFAMOUS JAIL
Rikers Island has been synonymous with violence, dysfunction and controversy for decades. But as New York City moves toward closing one of America's most infamous jail complexes, former NYC Correction Officer and union leader Elias Husamudeen believes there's another option: reinvent it. After 34...
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BRIAN KOEHN – FROM WARDEN TO CORRECTIONS REFORMER
For decades, the conversation around corrections has largely centered on two models: government-run facilities which operate 92% of prisons, and private prisons, which own and run the other 8%. But what if there was another option? Creating a third model is Brian Koehn, (pronounced Kane), Founder...
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SUNLIGHT IS THE GREATEST DISINFECTANT
The truth surfaced years before justice finally prevailed, but for Dusty Turner, freedom wasn't the end of the story. After spending 31 years in prison for a crime he maintains he did not commit, Dusty has chosen a path unlike many wrongly convicted people. Rather than quietly rebuilding his…
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THE WOMEN OF DYING ON THE INSIDE
America's prisons were built for punishment, not to become nursing homes. Across the United States, thousands of incarcerated men and women are growing old behind bars, facing chronic illness, declining health, and the possibility that prison will also become the place where they die. This week…
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YOU CAN'T CHANGE TOMORROW UNTIL YOU HEAL YESTERDAY
You don't have to be incarcerated for this conversation to matter. We all have had a yesterday experience that shaped us, wounds that followed us, and patterns we sometimes don't even realize we're repeating. This week we conclude our first-ever trilogy with a most meaningful yet simple lesson....
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WORTHY OF LOVE, DIGNITY AND HOPE
In this episode we return to Oregon to continue the story of CREW (Connecting Resources to Empower Women) and meet Client Services Specialist Kyle Black. Once incarcerated herself for almost three decades at Coffee Creek Correctional, Kyle now spends her days driving newly released women, from…
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BEFORE WE CALLED IT SOCIAL JUSTICE, THERE WAS FREDERICK DOUGLASS
In the annals of American history there is one speech delivered in 1852, by a former slave, that stood at the precipice of what today, we call social justice. This week on The Hustler Files Dr. LaToya Bosworth of Mass Humanities explores the enduring legacy of Frederick Douglass and the...
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INVISIBLE CAGES: WHEN FREE ISN'T FREE
What happens when one mistake follows you for the rest of your life? Dr. Sheena Meade, CEO of the Clean Slate Initiative, calls it 'invisible cages' and for her it was 2004 and an $87 bounced check that led to her arrest. Despite making restitution, that arrest still appears on her record, today,...
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AT COFFEE CREEK, NO WOMAN WALKS ALONE
At Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Oregon, there's a simple belief: no woman should walk alone. This week we're speaking with prison scholar, educator, researcher, advocate and Safe Ride creator, Dr. Taryn VanderPyl. For more than a decade, Taryn has worked alongside incarcerated and…
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BREAKING STEREOTYPES BEHIND AND BEYOND THE WALL
"Every success that I have isn't just for me. It's disproving stereotypes." When Chandler Dugal entered the correctional system right after graduating college, few could have predicted what the next three years would look like. During his incarceration, Chandler earned a graduate certificate in...
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ONE QUESTION, MANY ANSWERS
For more than three plus seasons, every episode of The Hustler Files has ended with the same question: "At this moment in your life, what do you believe is your life assignment?" The answers have been inspiring, surprising, deeply personal, and often transformative. In this special compilation...
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HE SERVED 22 YEARS FOR A CRIME HE DIDN'T COMMIT
What happens when the justice system gets it wrong? For Sean Ellis of Boston, he served 22 years for the murder of a Boston police detective, a crime he didn't commit. After two hung juries and a third conviction, Sean faced the reality of dying behind bars while fighting to uncover evidence that...
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SOUNDS LIKE TROUBLE: FROM PRISON WALLS TO POWERFUL FICTION
What happens when decades spent behind prison walls helping others tell their stories inspires a powerful debut novel. In this episode of The Hustler Files, we sit down with longtime prison activist, educator, and author Jean Trounstine to discuss Sounds Like Trouble to Me, a gripping story…
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PLANTING: ONE SEED AT A TIME
Behind every prison sentence is a family story. In this deeply personal Mother's Day episode of The Hustler Files, you'll meet Daisy Diaz, a justice-impacted woman and mother who shares how it felt to be the ugly duckling of her family and live on the streets beginning at the age of 12. From...
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THE EMOTIONAL EPICENTER OF A CRIMINAL RECORD
Opportunity, advocacy, and second chances is always a priority conversation when 1 in 3 Americans are justice-impacted. In this episode we highlight, for an inaugural conversation, Rahsaan Hall, President & CEO of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. This enlightening conversation explores...
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FROM FELONIES TO FUTURES, TWO STORIES OF SECOND CHANCE HIRING
April is Second Chance Month, and this episode brings two powerful stories that show what can happen when opportunity meets determination. First, we welcome back Brandon Downey, who first joined us in Episode 19 while rebuilding his life after incarceration. Now, several years later, Brandon...
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FOUR WASN'T FAILURE, IT WAS FINDING FAITH
What does it take to rebuild a life after four incarcerations, across four different decades, and stay the course when the path isn't easy? Today we welcome Tammy Franklin of Prison Fellowship, a woman, mother and wife whose lived experience, at every decade in her life, challenged her with...
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THIEF, PRISONER, SOLDIER, PRIEST (a book by guest Paul Cowley)
In this powerful episode we hear the remarkable story of Paul Cowley, a man whose life journey reflects the true power of hope, faith, and second chances. After experiencing the consequences of poor choices that led him into prison, Paul's life took an unexpected turn when a compassionate…
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FROM INCARCERATED TO INFLUENCER: THE JESSE CROSSON STORY
Meet Jesse Crosson, author of The Best Part of Prison, founder of the Second Chancer Foundation, an inspirational voice for second chances, and now a social media influencer. But that wasn't how it all started. At just 18 years old, Jesse's life changed forever after a robbery and shooting led to…
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FROM INCARCERATED YOUTH TO COMMUNITY LEADER
Today we meet Pray'Eon, a young emerging leader whose already young life journey reflects the power of second chances and personal transformation. Once involved in the justice system and placed in a juvenile detention center at a young age, Pray'Eon now uses his lived experience to guide others…
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WHEN CLASS ACTION WINS OUT OVER RETALIATION
Access to justice stops at the prison gates unless you happen to be incarcerated in one of the few states in the U.S. that has prisoner legal services available. For 9 plaintiffs and another 150 incarcerated men at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Massachusetts, legal help from…
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WHEN YOUR SUPERPOWER STANDS AT THE INTERSECTION OF JUVENILES & JUSTICE
As attorney, youth advocate and Executive Director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, Melissa Milchman's "superpower" is bringing people and organizations together to improve the lives of children and youth, and strengthen communities across the U.S. Even today her mother says she's been...
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SHERIFF CALLS ICE ARREST 'BUSH LEAGUE'
When a routine evening in Portland, Maine turned into a highly publicized arrest involving Federal Immigration Authorities, it sparked questions far beyond one incident and triggered a Sheriff showdown. In this episode, Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce unpacks the events surrounding the…
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ONE SYSTEM, TWO PATHS; RESTORATION VS. PUNISHMENT
Northwestern Massachusetts District Attorney David Sullivan is always up for a powerful conversation that challenges conventional ideas of justice, and what it truly means to serve a community. From traditional prosecution to innovative restorative justice practices, Sullivan shares how his…
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WHEN HOPE MEETS ACTION: LIVES RECLAIMED
In Part 2 of the conversation with the Seattle Clemency Project, we are joined by Brooke Kaufman, Director of Communications and Author, at the SCP, and client Grady Mitchell. In a deeply personal look at what clemency truly means, not just in policy, but in people's lives, Grady shares his…
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FINDING HOPE IN A NO-PAROLE STATE
In Part 1 of a two-part conversation, we sit down with leaders from an organization working at the intersection of justice, advocacy, and second chances. The Seattle Clemency Project is a lifeline for so many incarcerated individuals who may have been eligible for parole, if the State of…
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FOSTERING CHANGE, ONE CHILD AT A TIME
From surviving abuse, instability, and homelessness to building a national nonprofit to helpfoster children, this is the powerful journey of Rob Scheer, founder of the organization Comfort Cases. After experiencing firsthand the harsh realities of the foster care system where children often carry...
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IT'S OKAY TO SAY THE F WORD
From a felony to the CEO of a Global foundation, Michelle Cirocco knows firsthand that second chances work, because she lived it. After serving time in prison, Michelle rebuilt her life by taking a job at a call center, inside a local correctional facility. Today, she leads the Televerde...
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INTELLECTUAL ESPRESSO
Tore Price was serving time behind the wall, in Michigan, when he learned about the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program being taught by the University of Michigan. According to Tore, there were 1,000 incarcerated individuals who rushed to sign up for the weekly class with students from the...
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FROM LECTURE HALLS TO BEHIND THE WALL | LIFE, INSIDE OUT
While prisons in the United States offer a variety of educational pursuits, it only took a brief conversation between a college educator and an incarcerated individual for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program to be born. Four decades later, the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program is still going...
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GUIDED BY EXPERIENCE + GROUNDED BY SCIENCE = CHANGING OUTCOMES
Dan Sheridan and Ashley Anderson are both PhDs and licensed behavior analysts, but don't let their titles fool you; their work at Auburn University is no desk job. In partnership with the Alabama Department of Youth Services, Dan and Ashley headup a team of undergraduate students, graduate...
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THE REALITY IS IN THE NUMBERS
Welcome to Season 4! Wanda Bertram from the Prison Policy Initiative stops by to discuss the latest insights and highlights on current incarceration rates, parole, juvenile justice, and how women incarcerated in the U.S. compare to other states and countries . While the statistics are alarming…
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GRIT, GRACE & NOT A GANGSTER
Leadership was always in the cards for Kristin Kline. Despite being incarcerated, it only took one coach in an Arizona women's prison to encourage Kristin that she had leadership qualities and wasn't a gangster. Finding faith in herself, she launched a workout program for the women in her prison...
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30 YEARS AND 30 FEET FROM DEATH'S DOOR
Anthony Ray Hinton was 29 years old when falsely accused of multiple murders. With no money to hire an attorney and up against a criminal justice system that accused him based on the color of his skin and a false ballistics test, he spent 30 years on death row, only feet away from the execution...
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JUSTICE IN THE FACE OF OVERWHELMING ODDS
This episode explores the transformative journey of Brett Thomas, who at 18 years old was sentenced to an excessive prison term for a crime he personally did not commit. Brett is joined by Beth Henderson, Pro Bono Director at Microsoft, and they share the powerful story of how the Seattle…
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THE POWER OF TRUTH SHALL NOT BE SILENCED
Radha Natarajan is the Executive Director of the New England Innocence Project, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In this episode, Radha shares her journey into the world of wrongful convictions and the challenges faced by those, behind the wall, fighting for justice. Radha also shares her and…
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STORIES OF (THANKS)GIVING
Nothing is more heartwarming as the Holiday's approach than to re-feature a montage of stories of resilience, community, and the transformative power of giving. In this newly arranged episode, we delve into the inspiring initiatives from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office's gardening program…
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FROM SMALL TOWN TO HIGH SHERIFF, AGE IS JUST A NUMBER TO JILLIAN MYERS
Sheriff Jillian Myers of Grafton County, New Hampshire, isn't just the first and youngest female High Sheriff ever elected in her hometown, but she's also a wife and mama to her three little girls. While a career in law enforcement wasn't on her radar till college, Sheriff Myers says she couldn't...
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THREE WOMEN, THREE JOURNEY'S, THREE LEGACIES OF LOVE
When three women, a Warden, an Attorney turned Social Justice advocate, and a Filmmaker all cross paths at a maximum security prison for women in Bedford Hills, NY, anything is possible. The synergy they embody drives ground-breaking change for the innovative work taking place at the Bedford…
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UNPACKING JUSTICE THROUGH THE WRITTEN WORD
In this montage episode, join us on a reflective journey as we share three of our favorite author interviews from the last few years. With highlights from discussions with notable and famous legal figures, Stephen Bright and James Kwak, who delve into the systemic failures of justice in the...
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HELLO TRUTH, IT'S ME IVY
Meet Ivy Scott, a community engagement reporter for The Marshall Project. Ivy currently covers community-driven investigative and public service journalism about the criminal justice system in St.Louis and the state of Missouri. So what is The Marshall Project? Named after civil rights advocate...
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THE IMPRISONED MIND
"We could write this book together. We couldn't have written it apart." Those are the words of Dr. Kevin Wright, Director of the Center for Correctional Solutions at Arizona State University, discussing his co-authorship of the groundbreaking book, Imprisoned Minds: Lost Boys, Trapped Men, and...
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SHE WAS A WARDEN ON A MISSION FOR CHANGE
Elaine Lord may have been the youngest woman to become a Warden in the State of New York, but even before her appointment at Bedford Hills Correctional, she was on a mission to improve the incarcerated programs within the New York prison walls. Before her retirement, Elaine dedicated 20 years to...
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A VILLAGE OF RECOVERY ANGELS
A recent 2024 report estimates that 23.5 million people in the United States are in recovery from a substance use disorder based on data from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Anyone going through recovery will tell you that having support and hope are essential to overcoming their...
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FROM IMMORTAL TO AWAKENED
Christie Johnson grew up believing she could get away with just about anything. As a small-town Texas cheerleader, she thought she was untouchable, unstoppable, and immortal. But addiction, a horrific accident while serving in the military, and time in prison shattered that illusion and sparked...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives, and as they hustle to create a new future you’ll be inspired by their grit, passion, and perseverance to succeed. We'll also look inside the lives of other ex-offenders who have become successful entrepreneurs and the organizations that are available to help those who know their future lies ahead, not behind. Join me, Lisa Reilly, for a groundbreaking, episodic podcast series where the belief that failure isn't final has never been truer.
HOSTED BY
Lisa Reilly
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Hustler Files have?
The Hustler Files currently has 191 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Hustler Files about?
In this inaugural season follow the journeys of two ex-offenders, Keron and Kia, from their troubled pasts to their entrepreneurial aspirations and plans, they are taking control of their lives, and as they hustle to create a new future you’ll be inspired by their grit, passion, and perseverance to...
How often does The Hustler Files release new episodes?
The Hustler Files publishes regularly with 191 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Hustler Files?
You can listen to The Hustler Files on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Hustler Files?
The Hustler Files is created and hosted by Lisa Reilly.
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